In a nutshell: All UK babies will soon have access to a vaccine against meningitis B, after a deal with drug manufacturers, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced. The agreement with GlaxoSmithKline will mean the vaccine can be introduced on the NHS “this year”, Mr Hunt said. Government advisers said in 2014 that every child over two months old should be given the vaccine, but negotiations over costs have delayed this process. Mr Hunt said it was important to get value for money. Campaigners had warned the delays put children’s lives at risk.

In a nutshell: Morbidly obese people in England should be given a free flu jab on the NHS each year, say government advisers. Public Health England and the government’s vaccine advisory committee are in agreement that obesity poses enough of a health threat to consider including it as one of the “at risk” groups routinely offered the vaccine. It would put obesity in the same league as asthma, diabetes and heart disease. The government is yet to announce whether it will act on the advice.

In a nutshell: Immunization is one of the most important public health measures that primary care offers the population. All health professionals, regardless of whether they administer vaccines or not, should be well-informed on this topic and should know where to get the latest information on the UK national schedule and evidence-based guidelines on the use of vaccines. Nurse prescribers are in a particularly good position to make the most of opportunistic encounters to ensure that individuals who have missed routine or recommended vaccines are able to catch up without delay.

If you think anyone would benefit from receiving this post or from subscribing to this blog please email them the link to this blog and suggest they sign up to the blog newsletter to stay up-to-date with new content.